Sunday, November 6, 2016

EBCampaign NOTEBOOK – 2 days from ELECTION DAY IN THE BAY

16TH ASSEMBLY DISTRICT –-- PARTY TIME --As opposed to two years ago when special interests on both sides of the ledger spent ungodly sums of Independent Expenditure Committee money, this year’s 16th Assembly District race has shifted to the party apparatus—especially the California Democratic Party. As of Sunday, Democrat Cheryl Cook-Kallio has benefited from $2 million in contributions from the statewide and individual counties since June 30. Republican Assemblymember Catharine Baker has received $750,000 from her state party. A major reason for the shift falls on the Democrats, who desperately want to achieve a two-thirds majority. OAKLAND CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 5 –-- FRUITVALE FALLOUT --Back in 2012, you could argue former Oakland Councilmember Ignacio De La Fuente did more to elect Noel Gallo than anyone else. There were suspicions that it was IDLF's underground network that thwarted Gallo's opponent four years ago, Mario Juarez, with a raft of high-profile political shenanigans and personal attacks. Remember news reports of supposedly duped former Juarez investors who suddenly came out of the wood work? Now, IDLF and Gallo are estranged. A terse email from IDLF to his supporters slammed Gallo and urged them to vote for his opponent in District 5, Viola Gonzales. After lauding IDLF's own accomplishments as the district's representative, he wrote, "It is deeply disappointing however, that many of the resources we worked hard to obtain for the district have not had the type of stewardship needed to thrive and continue serving our community." IDLF also criticized Union Point Park becoming "a homeless encampment no longer enjoyed by local families."SAN LEANDRO CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2-- 'DRO-MATIC EVENT --District 2 candidate Ed Hernandez did something that is verboten in San Leandro politics—he went negative in a newspaper ad that appeared in the San Leandro Times on Thursday. Hernandez, who is facing the union-backed Bryan Azevedo in the city’s only contested races on Nov. 8, used an East Bay Citizen opinion piece that deemed Azevedo unprepared for office as a means of skewering him. San Leandro has typically possessed an institutional abhorrence toward negative ads. However, the strategy may be a relic from the city’s old-guard politicos.BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 3 –-- MURRAY M.I.A. --District 3 candidate Al Murray failed to make an appearance in Alameda County Superior Court last Thursday, the East Bay Times reported, following a complaint from the California Fair Political Practices Commission that he failed to file campaign finance reports due Oct. 31. Murray is in a four-person race to replace outgoing Berkeley Councilmember Max Anderson. A second hearing is scheduled for Monday morning in Hayward.BERKELEY CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT 2 –-- CANDIDATE IN THE CAN --In other Berkeley City Council jurisprudence, District 2 candidate Nanci Armstrong-Temple was arrested Friday morning during a police raid on a homeless encampment near the Ashby BART station. Armstrong-Temple told Bay City News that she was injured during the raid while helping a 65-year-old fellow protester. She was later taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin. Armstrong-Temple and another is challenging incumbent District 2 Councilmember Darryl Moore.